By Margarita Medrano-Tupaz
JAPAN has definitely been a favorite destination of many travelers these days. And more than the sights and shopping, the food is the main event. Japanese cuisine, to me, is all about clean eating meeting culinary artistry. In Japan the dining experience is not only about the actual food consumed, but also the presentation. There is sheer beauty in the precision of how Japanese food is presented—it’s raw and natural, yet methodical. It’s where raw fish and pickled vegetables sit astride seaweed strands, tempura sculptures and the most exquisite cuts of meat. It’s like eating on a canvas filled with so much color and textures
Entering the realm of authentic cuisine is a traditional Japanese restaurant that will give out a distinctly ancient dining experience. Fervently built upon a strong foundation of legacy, food lovers can savor and experience true Japanese flavor in Ogawa.
As you step inside the cultured restaurant, there are five elegantly designed private dining rooms to create comfort and ambiance perfect for business meetings, intimate get-togethers or birthday celebrations. Interestingly, the rooms were named after distinct cities in Japan, namely, Ginza, Roppongi, Akasaka, Aoyama and Shinbashi. The Japanese wallpaper, meticulously painted by Ushio Sekiguchi in Japan, created a natural atmosphere and as if made one feel of having a breath of fresh air as the layout of pine trees, leaves, branches and sparrows seemingly created a natural landscape in the walls. Even Ogawa’s antique main door (flown in from Japan) embodies the naturalness and heritage that the restaurant upholds.
Ogawa stops at no expense in providing the best ingredients—the finest meat, pristine vegetables and freshest seafood flown in from Japan two to three times a week. After all, the restaurant is built upon heritage, and in Japan freshness and excellence in preparation is one of their key traditions. Customers will marvel at the offerings on their menu, including Teppanyaki, whose meat, seafood and vegetables are cooked and seared on an iron girdle, the traditional multi-course Japanese dinner Kaiseki—the Teppan Gozen (which consists of an appetizer, a salad, salmon, prawns, 120 grams of US rib-eye steak, fried rice, soup and dessert); and the Ryo Goku Gozen bento box (which has the bento box staples and boasts of three kinds of sashimi, gindara teriyaki, a sushi roll and tempura) are Ogawa’s best sellers. The original Japanese barbecue, Robatayaki, can be grilled on the table using small stone charcoal grills called konros, which are handcrafted in Japan. Definite must-haves are the Gyukushiyaki (steak), Negima and Tebasaki (chicken).
The main counter, where the skillfully made cuisines are set to be served to guests, is patterned after Mikoshi traditional festival, since it’s like the main stage of Chef Ogawa. The sushi station, on the other hand, is created with a sense of space and a delectable aura to beautifully present the art of sushi. Their best seller is the Dragon Roll, which is made up of seven huge slices of lobster tempura, cucumber and omelet wrapped then topped with ripe mangoes and baked eel.
The immense passion of food connoisseur and businessman George Nocom Pua of No Limits Food Inc., alongside renowned Japanese Chef Kiyoshi Ogawa, led them to the reality of Metro Manila’s newest traditional Japanese restaurant. Sharing the same dream of wanting to let the Filipinos experience what high quality Japanese cuisine really tastes like, Ogawa aims to reach and please palates amid the ever growing culinary scene in Manila. It’s no wonder they are becoming quite the favorite of locals and expats alike.
For an authentic Japanese culinary experience, visit Ogawa at the second floor of The Fort Entertainment Complex in The Fort Strip, 28th Street Corner 5th Avenue, Taguig City.